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No. 515,665. Patented Feb. 27,1894.

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J. W. ENGLISH. SIGNALING APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 27, 1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. ENGLISH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SIGNALING APPARATUS.

SPECIFIGATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,665, dated February 27, 1894.

Application filed October 26, 1893- Serial No. 489,220- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. ENGLISH, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Signaling Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of signaling apparatus in which visual signals are used and in which the sig nals are swung from a hidden to a discernible position.

The object of my invention is to produce a very simple and efficient apparatus or device which may be operated with accuracy and speed without requiring special skill, and which may be made to exhibit numbers, letters, or other signaling matter and thereby convey messages from point to point, the distances to which the messages are conveyed being limited only by the range of vision.

A particular object of my invention is also to improve the construction of the apparatus for which I filed an application for Letters Patent of the United States on JuneS, 1893, Serial No. 476,930. In the apparatus there shown a series of targets bearing numerals or other signaling matter was employed, and each target was operated by an electric motor and provided with a counterbalance to enable it to be easily moved. By my improved apparatus the counterbalance is dispensed with, and each target staff provided with oppositely projecting flags or plates, these being arranged at opposite ends of the staff so that one acts as a counterbalance for the other, and as each staff has two signal flags or plates thereon it will be seen that a signal carrying a certain number of flags will only occupy half the space of a signal made in accordance with my former application and carrying the same number of flags.

To these ends my invention consists of certain features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of the apparatus on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2, showing one signal flag in position to be displayed.

Fig. 2 is a broken sectional plan on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail end view of one of the motors used in working the signal. Fig. 4 is a view of the motor taken from the other end. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line 55 of Fig. 4:. Figs. 6 and 7 are front elevations of two cases containing the signaling apparatus and illustrate how the cases may be arranged in series when large numbers are to be displayed; and Fig. 8 is a sectional plan showing the general arrangement of the signals and their motors.

The apparatus is preferably provided with a containing case 10, in order that its operative parts may be protected from the weather, dirt, &c., the case having in its front side a sight aperture 11 opposite which the signal flags or plates 12 swing, these flags being arranged in pairs, each pair forming a target having a common staff 13, and the flags 12, which are of rigid material, project from oppositeends and opposite sides of the staff, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The staif is hung on a shaft at its center, and it will thus be seen that one flag acts as a counterbalance for the other, so that the flags may be easily moved and either may be displayed by giving the shaft a quarter turn, but to display the flags properly the staff should be turned in one direction to show one flag and in the opposite direction to display the other. As both flags swing in the same vertical plane, it will be seen at once that the series of flags only occupy half the space of a series containing the same number and arranged in the manner described in my former application.

Each target is provided with a motor to operate it, and is secured to a shaft 14 having thereon a pinion 15 which meshes with a gear wheel 15 on the armature shaft of an electric motor 16, which motor may he of any approved construction, and the motor frame supports brackets 17 in which the shaft 14 is journaled. The shaft may be supported, however, in any convenient way.

The motors for working the targets are each preferably provided with brackets 18 to enable it to be conveniently supported on one of the transverse partitions 19 in the case 10. The motors may, however, be supported in any convenient way. The motorsare connected by wires 20 with binding screws 21011 the exterior of the case, and these are connected by wires 22 with a suitable source of electric supply. I have not shown the connections in detail for the reason that this part of the apparatus forms no part of my invention and the motors may be made in any ordinary way and connected in any usual manner, but the motors are independent of each other, separately connected, and may be worked from any ordinary switchboard so that either may be put in motion. Each motor and its switch mechanism should also be arranged in such" a Way that the motor may be reversed at will, so as to display either flag on the target with which it is connected.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown how the cases of this apparatus may be arranged in series when large numbers are to be displayed, and as each series of flags, that is, the flags in each case, maybe conveniently numbered from O to 9 by using several cases, very large numbers may be displayed. When two cases are arranged, as in Figs. 6 and 1 7, it will be seen that the signal may be made to display numbers in either units or tens, and if three cases are useclhundreds may be displayed, and so on. It will be understood that several series of the flags may be arranged in a single case with numerous sight apertures with the same To prevent the targets from being turned toc .far stops are used, which may be of any suitable kind, a simple contrivance for this purpose being shown in Fig. 1, where an arm 23 is pivoted near its center and extends at its lower end into the path of the staff 13 of the target beneath it, while its upper end has a limited movement between lugs 24. When the target is moved in one direction, one end of the staff strikes the arm 23 on one side and the arm limits the movement of the target in this direction, and when the stafi is turned the other way, the opposite end of the stafi strikes the other side of thearm and the target is stopped. It will be seen. that as the gear wheels 15 are larger than thegear wheels 15, the motor armatures will need to move but a very short distance to swing the flags into a discernible position opposite the sight opening 11. The signal flags maybe made of any suitable material, and the numbers or other signaling matter may be produced thereon in any convenient way; and if the signals are to be used at night the flags may be illuminated by electric lights or in any other convenient manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The herein-described signaling apparatus, comprising a plurality of targets arranged in series, each target comprising a common staff, and oppositely projectingsignal flags at opposite ends of the stafli, an electric motor for each target, the motor being geared to the target to swing the same, and. a containing case for the mechanism, the case having a single sight aperture before which the targets appear, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described signaling 'appara tus, comprising a series of independent movable targets arranged one behind the other, I each target comprising a common staif having oppositely projecting signal flags at its opposite ends, an electric motor for each tail? get, the motor being geared to the target so as to swing and revolve the same, and a containing case inclosing the motors and targets, the case having a sight opening opposite which the targets may swing, substantially as described.

JAMES W. ENGLISH. WVitnesses:

WARREN B. HUTCHINSON, EDGAR TATE. 

